By ARIELLA MONTI
Yannelli, 71, has been a practicing attorney since 1964, and became village justice in 1982. "He's a friend to everyone, an accomplished attorney, village justice and a loving husband and father," said Bossart.
Those who have worked closely with Yannelli, the Herald's 2008 Person of the Year, all describe him as fair, kind and compassionate. "He shows great compassion and extreme fairness towards everyone," said village court Clerk Christine Tarpinian. "Some of the most difficult people come in and they go in the court very angry. They come out feeling like they've been treated with respect."
"The first phone call I had the morning after the election was him pledging his support," said former Village Justice Robert Williams, recalling the day after his March 1991 election to village court. "I found him to be not only a great jurist, but a wonderful human being and a great mentor to me."
Williams said that despite his new colleague's seniority, Yannelli treated him as an equal partner, and the pair had a wonderful working and personal relationship. They served together for 16 years before Williams retired in 2006.
"He's one of the nicest people you're ever going to meet," said current Village Justice William Croutier, adding that Yannelli's graciousness and kindness are on display every day. "The day-to-day way that he carries himself and treats people, it never changes," Croutier said.
Yannelli's professionalism was recognized by the Nassau County Bar Association's Board of Directors, which nominated him for the New York State Bar Association's 2007 Attorney Professionalism Award. He was presented with the award in January 2007.
Yannelli is an avid runner and a devoted family man. He and his wife of 42 years, Roberta, a special education teacher at St. Agnes Cathedral Elementary School, have three sons, Christopher, 41, Michael, 39, and
Thomas, 35.
He has donated his time to a number of boards, including the executive board of the Rockville Centre Economic Opportunity Council, the Zoning Board of Appeals, the board of directors of Confide Inc. and the Rockville Centre Education Foundation.
"I can't articulate the genuine feeling I have for how much of a community-minded man Frank Yannelli is," said Art Rosenthal, executive director of Confide, an outpatient drug and alcohol counseling center in Rockville Centre with which Yannelli has been involved for a decade. "He's been a supporter of Confide throughout the years, without which I don't think we could have been as successful as we are."
Yannelli's presence has also been felt in the Rockville Centre school district. "He has helped us out whenever we have needed his expertise in explaining to people some of the laws related to drug and alcohol abuse and use in people's homes," said Superintendent Dr. William Johnson, adding that Yannelli has a commanding presence when he speaks, and answers questions honestly and clearly. "He's been wonderful over the years in giving up his time to the school district when we needed him."
"His most outstanding characteristic is that he always champions the underdog," said Bossart. "I remember years ago my family was attending a Sabbath service in conjunction with the Rockville Centre Centennial. I had purchased a new jacket for my son to wear and placed it in his room. It was winter, and I didn't discover that he had forgotten to put the jacket on until we were at Temple B'nai Sholom. To say I wasn't pleased would be an understatement, but Frank asked my son what was wrong. He then began pleading my son's case with me!"
In village court, Yannelli served as a prosecutor before being elected village justice. According to former Mayor Gene Murray, Yannelli revamped the court's out-of-date system and computerized it. "He really advanced the court system," said Murray. "It was kind of run down when he took it over."
Yannelli worked well with his fellow justices, Murray said, and has earned the highest respect. "He's very quiet, but a very intelligent jurist, lawyer and judge," Murray said.
Yannelli has served not only the village, but Nassau County as well. As president of the county Bar Association, he created a free senior citizen consultation clinic, and was a force behind the creation of the county's Traffic and Parking Violations Bureau.
"I believe everybody appreciates Frank's patience, respect for all, his wisdom and talents as an attorney and his affirming spirit in Village Court," said Bossart. "He's the best."
Comments about this story? AMonti@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 282.
